Leading Schools in Times of Emergencies: The Case of School Heads In

Eastern Visayas

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

An emergency is a situation that provides an imminent risk to health, life,

property, or the environment. (Wikipedia contributors, 2021)

Among the emergency crises identified by World Health Organization that

have substantially impacted the world, the Ebola virus, Corona, Zika, Influenza,

and crisis were occurring among countries like Yemen, Somalia, and Nigeria

(WHO - List of Emergencies, 2021).

In 2021, the Philippines was severely hit by the world's number one health

issue, none other than the Coronavirus, which is rapidly evolving into new

variants (Kwon & Naro, 2021). In effect, the administration has been finding

various strategic measures to ameliorate the situation.

Though schools have closed, learning has not ceased in the education

sector. The Department of Education has considered learning continuity plans,

including the type of instruction that would be used based on the learners'

situation or ability.

In Eastern Visayas, the school heads, on the other hand, confronted with

this situation, have handled emergencies on many various methods. The

approaches they do manage and lead may speak about the style of leadership

they utilize. Many of the school heads were surprised and were not able to cope

up. Many were unable to keep up with the expectation regarding the effective

leadership they had to use, as they have always waited for the mandate of the

higher agency through memos and issuing. Additionally, the leadership quality

may be substandard in comparison to that of other countries. (Farah et al., 2020)

For example, when most schools' workforce has gone remote, school

chiefs realize that managing a distributed personnel might be challenging. The

loss of shared workspace signifies the risk of losing a sense of community and

cohesion among the human resource. (“Depressive Symptoms, Perceived Risk

of Infection, and Emotional Fatigue among COVID-19 Frontline Medical

Personnel,” 2021)

When school leaders previously struggled with communication (Jarvis &

Okonofua, 2019), they now find themselves lost and finding it even more

challenging to complete what were once simple tasks handled by a 20-minute in-

person conference, as it is well known that the majority, if not all, of the

workforce, lacks access to a reliable internet connection. (Radak et al., 2017)

It is, therefore, in this context that the researchers would like to explicitly

study the kind of leadership and management the school heads in the Philippines

employs, particularly in the Eastern Visayas, and how do they see about

employing new leadership model that they found fit and effective in managing

their respective schools.

 Indeed, the Department of Education is brimming with instructors and

school administrators who are so selfless as to commit themselves to ensuring

that students continue to study despite the COVID-19 pandemic. During these

hard times, the creation of a situational leadership style dubbed New Normal

Leadership has been demonstrated by school administrators in every minute,

day by day, and wherever they are, to promote quality education in the country.

New Normal Leadership is the capacity to change while remaining

steadfast in one's commitment; it is about being a successful instructional

decision-maker; it is about being a planner, vigilante, and initiator. Nonetheless,

numerous researchers in the field vehemently defended these notions.

Historically, school administrators were required to exhibit exceptional

leadership. Effective leadership in schools creates nurturing learning

environments that foster children's growth and development. (Jarvis & Okonofua,

2019) To develop such an environment, school leaders must manage and

promote collaboration among diverse, frequently complex stakeholders:

education authorities, instructors, students, parents, and local communities

(Cassetti et al., 2018). In a sense, school heads are the glue that ties everyone

together. It is also worth emphasizing that, in these trying times, the school

principal's area and range of responsibility must be expanded from administration

to teaching. It is performed in some countries.

It must also be worth noting that the school head must broaden his area

and breadth of responsibilities from administration to teaching in these

challenging times. In some nations, it is practiced. (Today, 2021)

 The epidemic has enlarged the actual extent of their obligations in several

nations. For instance, school directors in Norway could determine how to use

additional government cash to help vulnerable children make up for learning loss

through programs such as homework aid programs, summer schools, and more

teacher recruitment. (Tagalo, 2020)

Furthermore, during the COVID-19 crisis, they are also expected to make

more complicated decisions that were not needed before. For example, school

heads in Chile have been accountable for various plans for school reopening,

which involves a closer engagement with numerous parties. Meanwhile, in the

Philippines, different articles have also made rounds of the internet and news

pieces proving how a school head, whether in a private or public educational

institution, has managed the school in general through the pandemic issue.

(Farah et al., 2020)

In its released article, DepEd says she consistently drives improvements

to teach quality with new requirements for school leaders. DEPED claimed that

the function of school heads and supervisors in increasing teacher quality is now

more clearly defined with the publication of two landmark education rules that set

professional requirements for the country's school leaders. Therefore, The

Department of Education released DO 24, s. 2020 or the National Adoption and

Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads

(PPSSH), and DO 25, s. 2020 or the National Adoption and Implementation of

the Philippine Professional Standards for Supervisors (PPSS) (Daniëls et al.,

2020)
 The department is steadfast in her view that pupils' academic achievement

may be considerably affected by the school's leadership. "Quality learning

outcomes are achieved by quality teachers, whom good school leaders support,"

Undersecretary Mateo added. "Ensuring the delivery of quality education requires

defined professional standards that are sensitive to the demands of the dynamic

educational environment." With these standards defined, the school heads must

become resilient school leaders who continuously give service in all school

governance elements. (DepEd Continues to Drive Improvements to Teaching

Quality with New Standards for School Leaders | Department of Education, 2020)

Apart from these standards, the researchers assert that a new leadership

model should be introduced to school leaders in the Philippines, one that may

have already been adopted by school leaders in other parts of the world, one that

has proven effective in times of crisis such as the pandemic, and one that they

can emulate and follow as they manage their schools. The researchers' objective

is to ascertain the existing leadership and management style among school

principals in the Philippines, particularly in the Eastern Visayas, and to ascertain

their perceptions of the researchers' proposed new leadership model during

times of emergency crises.

The researchers believed that the leadership model to be adopted should

be suitable and more effective in times of emergency scenario. It will be practical,

beneficial, and required. With the appropriate kind of leadership model, the

school heads will handle and thrive on ambiguity, give decisive decision-making,
and eventually become responsive, creative, optimistic, and work with others to

reach essential objectives.

Leaders will become more effective in times of crisis as the school head

leads his or her team forward in transitioning, carrying learners forward as he or

she maintains learning continuity. (Harris & Jones, 2021)

Literature Review

This stage presented the related literature and studies reviewed by the

researcher through readings of local as well as published national materials.

The insights guided the researcher in conceptualizing the study and formulating

inputs for a theory/model on school emergencies on school administrators

leading their schools in Eastern Visayas.

The succeeding discussion presents concept and principles that have

bearing on the variables under study.

Consistent with its commitment to provide quality In-service development,

the Department of Education (DepEd) will be providing public school teachers

and leaders a broad range of professional development programs and courses

recognized by the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP)

programs and courses. The Guidelines on the Registration of Teachers and

School Leaders for NEAP-Recognized Professional Development Programs and

Courses, DepEd has established requirements and processes for enrolment to

programs and courses offered by NEAP, other DepEd offices and units, and non-

DepEd entities (DepEd Memo. 082 s. 2020).

 The ideal school is a safe school. In recent years, the ability of K-12

school districts to mitigate, prepare, protect, respond, and recover from

emergencies has gained national attention as a wide variety of manmade and

non-manmade disasters have impacted school systems in the United States. An

increased emphasis has been placed on how schools can take steps to plan for a

multitude of emergencies through planning in conjunction with community

partners. Creating safe school environments is a complex task that involves a

community approach. School leadership that is willing to place a high priority on

effective emergency management planning will research best practices of

community partnerships that enhance overall school safety (Jones,2018).

OECD (2016), the task is so great that the Department of Education has

come up with a policy to provide schools with principals or administrators who

supervise and exercise their leadership to ensure that goals of education are

efficiently and effectively attained.

In response to the challenges of establishing an adaptable and workable

system for monitoring and supervision in this time of pandemic, the Regional

Office VIII, directs the Schools Division Offices (SDOS) to enhance the

monitoring and supervision tools for Curriculum Implementation Division (CID)

Chiefs, Education Supervisors (EPS), Public Schools District Supervisors

(PSDS), School Heads (SH), and Teacher (RM 367 s. 2020). This is to ensure

the effectiveness of the leadership performance of every school leaders in times

of emergencies in all key result areas such as instructional leadership, learning

environment, human resource and development, parent’s involvement and

community partnership, school leadership management and operations.

Republic Act 9155 in 2001 otherwise known as Governance of Basic

Education stated in Rule VI that the school head shall form an instructional

leader and administrative manager. The school head has an authority,

accountability and responsibility to lead the national educational policies, plans

and standards. Since the principal leads the school, s/he is empowered and has

an authority to make decisions that would result in the achievement of

instructional goals. It also means that he was going to be responsible for all

actions that he would take at the school level. The role of the school head is not

an easy task. Therefore, the DepEd made a schedule on different trainings to

school heads to ensure that they will be fully functional to their duties and

responsibilities for instructional supervision and monitoring skills.

Disasters and emergencies have been increasing all over the world.

Today, with technological advancement, acquiring knowledge and its application

in the realm of action is regarded as the only effective way to prevent disasters or

reducing its effects (Long, 2016).

Schools are mandated to form School DRRM team, which is headed by a

designated coordinator. The DRRM Team and Coordinator are expected to:

ensure the establishment of an early warning system for the school, conduct an

annual student-led risk identification and mapping within and around the school

premises, plan and implement disaster preparedness measures, maintain the

safekeeping of vital school records and learning materials, track all school
personnel during disasters, conduct damage assessments, facilitate immediate

resumption of classes, and monitor recovery and rehabilitation interventions

being implemented in the school, among other roles and responsibilities (DepEd

Order No. 55 s. 2010) .

In consonance with Republic Act No. 10121, re: Philippine Disaster Risk

Reduction and Management Act of 2010, and DepEd Order No. 21, s. 2015 re:

Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Coordination and Information

Management Protocol, all schools are directed to form/reconstitute their School

Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (SDRRM) Committee to spearhead

the conduct of Disaster Risk Reduction/ClimateChangeAdaptation(DRR/CCA)-

related programs/projects/activities in their respective schools.

School heads are responsible to manage the overall school’s

environment so that s/he should have effective leadership competency.

Leadership itself maybe generalized, it has numerous facets because of its

different meaning and appearance. According to McCleskey (2014), in order to

advance our knowledge of leadership, it should be developed since it is a

complex concept. This is due to the fact that several approaches have been

employed to provide meaning to the term leadership.

A key principle for education in situations of emergency and crisis is rapid

response, using a community based approach, with capacity-building through

training of teachers, youth leaders and school management committees.

Education should support durable solutions and should normally be based on the

curriculum and languages of study of the area of origin. Survival and peace-
building messages and skills should be incorporated in formal and non-formal

education. Programs must progressively promote the participation of under-

represented groups, including girls, adolescents and persons with disability.

Ongoing refugee programs should develop procedures for rapid response to the

needs of newly arriving refugee children and adolescents (Sinclair, 2000)

UNDP Phil.(2018), described that more than 9,600 students and teachers

from the disaster-prone Eastern Visayas region in the Philippines participated in

large-scale tsunami evacuation drills over the last two days. The drills were

conducted in six schools to advocate for the schools’ readiness to rapidly

forming natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,

and landslides.The Philippines is one the world’s most tsunami-prone countries.

The Eastern Visayas is among the most vulnerable regions because of its

location on the seismically active Philippine Fault and Philippine Trench. Facing

the Pacific Ocean and lying within the Pacific Ring of Fire makes the region

prone to all known natural hazards.

Over 8,674 students and 310 teachers in Tacloban City, Leyte and 600

students and 57 teachers in Salcedo, Eastern Samar participated in emergency

education and evacuation drills organized by the United Nations Development

Programme in the Philippines (UNDP, 2018).

The six schools participating the tsunami programme were San Jose

National High School, San Jose Central Elementary School, San Fernando

Elementary School, Rizal Elementary School in Tacloban City, Leyte; and

Matarinao Elementary School and Matarinao School of Fisheries in Salcedo,

Eastern Samar.During the drill the schools tested their early warning systems

and activation of the emergency response and evacuation plans. The drills also

examined the schools’ emergency communication protocols to inform parents

and coordinate with local governments (UNDP Phil., 2018).

The Philippines is highly susceptible to natural hazards, including

typhoons, storm surges, flash floods, droughts, earthquakes, and volcanic

eruptions. It experienced 191 natural hazard events between 2003 and 2013,

making it the country with the highest frequency of natural hazards out of all

Southeast Asian countries during that decade (EM-DAT, 2017).

Emergency situations, whether due to conflict, natural disaster, health

epidemic or economic fallout, have unsurprisingly, a direct impact on access to

education. It is only relatively recently, however, that we have gained a deeper,

more nuanced understanding of the complexities of that impact and what is

needed to respond effectively and with sustainable results

(Coomaraswamy,2010).

Typhoons are one of the country’s most significant natural hazard threats

because they are both frequent and destructive. Around 20 typhoons hit the

Philippines every year, and about eight to nine make landfall. Typhoon Haiyan in

2013 was the strongest storm on record to make landfall in the Philippines. Wind

speeds reached 10-minute sustained speeds of 230 kilometers per hour and

one-minute sustained speeds of 315 kilometers per hour. The typhoon caused

6,300 deaths in the Philippines alone – many of which were children. Property

damage was also extensive, displacing 4.4 million people. In the aftermath of
the typhoon, many suffered from homelessness, lack of clean water, food

scarcity, and severe psychological trauma (Coombs, 2010).

When Typhoon Haiyan struck Southeast Asia in 2013, it affected nearly 6

million children in the Philippines, leaving thousands dead and many more

psychologically traumatized. In the aftermath of the disaster, Save the Children,

World Vision, UNICEF and Plan International conducted a study to identify

children’s needs through direct consultation with children. The Philippines is

highly susceptible to natural hazards, including typhoons, storm surges, flash

floods, droughts, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. It experienced 191

natural hazard events between 2003 and 2013, making it the country with the

highest frequency of natural hazards out of all Southeast Asian countries during

that decade (EM-DAT, 2017). Typhoons are one of the country’s most

significant natural hazard threats because they are both frequent and

destructive. Around 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year, and about eight

to nine make landfall. Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 was the strongest storm on

record to make landfall in the Philippines. Wind speeds reached 10-minute

sustained speeds of 230 kilometres per hour and one-minute sustained speeds

of 315 kilometres per hour. The typhoon caused 6,300 deaths in the Philippines

alone – many of which were children. Property damage was also extensive,

displacing 4.4 million people. In the aftermath of the typhoon, many suffered

from homelessness, lack of clean water, food scarcity, and severe psychological

trauma (Coombs and Hooladay 2010)

 The education sector was not unscathed by this disaster. The typhoon

damaged or destroyed 3,200 school buildings, approximately 90% of the school

buildings in the typhoon-affected regions of the Philippines, affecting the

education of over 1 million children (Valcarcel, 2013). Approximately one-third of

the population in the Philippines – about 34.6 million people – is under the age

of 15 years old (Philippines Statistical Authority, 2012). Nearly all children attend

primary school, though secondary school enrolment is lower at 88.3%

(UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2016).

NDRRMC (2011), points out that prior to Typhoon Haiyan, and in

agreement with its adoption of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015, the

Philippine government had developed two significant policies in 2010 that

addressed disaster risk in the education sector

In the last decades school administrators at all levels—district

superintendents, school principals and assistant principals—have experienced

diverse crises, including, but not limited to: floods, hurricanes, school shootings,

chemical spills, and infectious disease outbreaks. School districts and schools

across the country are struggling with ways to effectively engage administrators

services (EMS) and mental health in emergency management planning.

Personnel (Scott,2010). This collaboration helps Engagement of school

administrators to create a dynamic and interactive is crucial because their

involvement environment in which the school is essential to elevating

emergency base administrators’ authority can management to a high priority at

be transformed and shared through a every level of the school system, in single
voice and a collective message every administrative department, about

emergency management and in every school building (Waugh and Streib,

2006). Priorities and actions. Depending on Administrator engagement also will

the scope of the crisis, this may mean lead to great involvement of teacher that

administrators may be called upon and other school-based staff. to share

responsibility in decision-making with local responders, hand Emergency

management in control over to the key incident the schools involves a greater

commander from first responding interdependence between school agencies, or

possibly maintain their and community leaders such as autonomy in an

emergency situation.

Robertson (2017), stated that building level principals are faced with a

myriad of responsibilities from teacher observations to meeting with

stakeholders to serving as chief academic and administrator in the school.

School safety is equally as important as student achievement. Therefore,

school leaders need to have plans in place to mitigate loss of life due to both

natural and manmade disasters. Sometimes referred to as multi-hazard plans,

Reeves et al. (2010) posit the purpose of a crisis management plan is to create

a safety minded culture that embeds the key elements of a crisis. Too much

emphasis is placed on fire drills when other threats abound (Campbell, 2016).

Capulso (2020), further elaborates that the record high of COVID 19 cases

in the Philippines reaches to 20,382 consisting 4,248 recoveries and 984 death

cases as of June 4, 2020. Most of these new cases recorded were a by-product

of the backlogged test results which were not accounted for on time due to the
limitations of testing materials and the fact that some personnel of the agency in

charge of verifying the test results were themselves hit by the same virus. Lately,

many testing facilities were accredited by the Department of Health that resulted

to the production of more up-to-date results, both positive and negative one. As

the government started to loosen its grip in the Community Quarantine in the

Metro cities started this week, the different agencies and industries are gradually

starting to gather and re-organize to regain resources and capital lost during the

lockdown. At the same time, other aspect of society, like education has to start

re-assessing itself in order to move forward (Capulso, 2020).Hence, Educational

Leaders of the Central Office in consultation with other stakeholders both from

public and private agencies crafted some policies and guideline in order to

sustain the quality of K12 education despite the pandemic. According to

Capulso(2020), The Learning Continuity Plan:A concerted effort in the

department gave birth to a bigger framework known as the Learning Continuity

Plan, that will serve as the guiding principles of the whole K12 Educational

System. The Learning Continuity Plan is the major response & commitment in

ensuring the health, safety & well-being of learners, teachers, personnel in time

of COVID 19 while finding ways for education to continue amidst the crisis for the

upcoming school year.

Technology has been instrumental for efficient communication to counter

the pandemic that the world is facing today. It also redefines how the educational

system can proliferate the delivery of the teaching-learning process amidst

COVID-19. COVID-19 caused impediments in the educational system to conduct

face-to-face classes between students and teachers that eventually followed with

school closures. Distance learning highlights the integration of technology for

educational delivery. However, what the educational institutions worldwide are

applying is an emergency remote education. The former has proven its

effectiveness for student learning while the latter is under scrutiny on its

concepts. The commonality is that both distance education and emergency

remote education make use of technology to provide for learning opportunities. In

light of COVID-19, ERE can mitigate educational challenges while in non-

traditional classroom settings. (Toquero,2020).

National disaster management policy in the Philippines dates back to the

establishment of the Civilian Emergency Administration in 1941, which

developed policies and plans for emergency response. Presidential Decree

1566 in 1978 established the framework for what is currently known as the

National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, a council that includes

the Department of Education (DepEd). The council is responsible for developing

the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Framework as well as

actions the national and local governments must take to reduce disaster risk and

build community resilience (NDRRMC, 2011).

Harris (2020), noted that to see what schools can do, it is useful to think

about our broad social and economic needs. I argue we have four needs right

now: Protection. This means stopping the spread of the virus and reinforcing the

safety net for everyone to prevent side effects. Everyone needs to be able to

meet their most basic needs, such as food and housing. Stability. While we need
to reinforce the social safety net, it would be even better to prevent people from

needing it to begin with. Maintain income and employment. Stimulus. Even after

the crisis subsides, people will be reluctant to spend money and businesses will

be reluctant to bring workers back. The emergency relief package is aimed at

this. Preparation (for the long run). This means taking steps to prevent future

pandemics and to facilitate better responses, and putting ourselves in a good

long-term position to bounce back. Preparation is the least urgent of these, but it

turns out that there are many ideas out there, especially in education, that

address multiple needs simultaneously. Policies that promote both stability and

stimulus and preparation, for example, should be top priorities (Harris, 2020).

Throughout history educational practices have typically been modeled

after economic work practices. During the agrarian-age, educational practices

modeled agrarian practices. Likewise, in the industrial-age, education became

standardized and was modeled after industrial practices to prepare students for

work in factories and industrial settings. Now that society has moved into the

information-age, educational practices should follow suit, yet many schools

continue to operate in the standardized methods that mimic the industrial-age

(Jones,2020).

Grissom,et.al.,(2015), noted that a contingency leadership theory lens is

used to identify situations where strong leadership, good leader–member

relations, and well-structured tasks can facilitate different leadership approaches.

Effective school administrators are well-versed in the benefits of

establishing personal relationships with key people in community organizations

to supplement and enhance program support available for families and students.

Administrators can capitalize on these relationships and use similar strategies to

protect the school community. School administrators’ active involvement in

school emergency management helps schools to: Promote emergency

preparedness as a high priority within the district, schools, and classroom and

equal in importance to increasing academic achievement; Articulate the key

components and critical activities of the four phases of emergency management

—prevention-mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery (Liljenberg,

2015).

Daft (2008), hypothesize on any given day, principals could find

themselves faced with a situation that could define their roles as crisis leaders.

The overall results of this exploratory study indicated that building level

administrators appear to have varying levels of familiarity with limited formal

training in the area of crisis leadership. Further research utilizing the crisis

competencies and survey measurement tool developed in this initial research

study could provide valuable knowledge and support for the future professional

preparation of educational leaders.

Consequently, hazard assessments are important in determining the

frequency, number and type of drills needed to maintain a safe and secure

learning environment. With the proper training in threat and hazard

assessments, principals and teachers working together can determine the

number and type of safety drills needed to maintain a safe and secure learning

environment (Fullan, 2008).

 Dufour (2009), defines crisis management is not just a one-time response

to an unfortunate event. It is a strategic process that must occur far before the

first crisis ever takes place in the life of the organization. It is a process that

must be planned both before and after the crisis occurs.

Effective school leaders, acknowledge and respond with a broad

contextual perspective naturally, hence, when confronted by crises they translate

these bankable traits into team good will, while those Principals who operate

primarily in a manager capacity find crises more challenging:

The principal is the most complex and contradictory figure in the pantheon
of educational leadership. The principal is both the administrative director
of state educational policy and a building manager, both an advocate for
school change and the protector of bureaucratic stability. Authorized to be
employer, supervisor, professional figurehead, and inspirational leader,
the principal’s core training and identity is as a classroom teacher. A
single person, in a single professional role, acts on a daily basis as the
connecting link between a large bureaucratic system and the individual
daily experiences of a large number of children and adults. Most
contradictory of all, the principal has always been responsible for student
learning, even as the position has become increasingly disconnected from
the classroom (Gainey, 2009).

Consequently, during a crisis, principals (at the operational level) are

constantly answering questions, accommodating conflicting demands, or

interpreting and implementing departmental policies. The time-intensive nature of

these activities often intensifies dissatisfaction, and as the crisis evolves,

tensions between strategic and operational will deepen. Long standing,

unresolved governance dilemmas or complex issues that may have become

salient will resurface in the form of dilemmas (Gaderman,et.al.,2012).

Harris et.al.,(2007), defines school leaders operate contextually. What

may on the surface appear to be an effective leadership strategy in one setting,

may not be as effective or even relevant in another. Concurrently, the leadership

attributes and skills required of school leaders in times of crisis are fundamentally

different from those generally required as part of the routine school environment.

. The conception authentic leadership entails; persuading, enthusiasm,

pro-activity and empowerment to restrict schools and enhanced performance,

mostly in conditions of improved educational results. The term authentic

leadership involves persuading individuals of their worth, influencing the manner

they undergo, believe and perform in array to apprehend their latent (Smith &

Riley, 2012,p. 67). Likewise, the powers of authentic leadership ought to be

preferably dispersed among entire school context.

Natural disasters and other emergencies can happen at any time, and

when they happen at school, everyone should be prepared to handle them safely

and effectively. Administrators, teachers, staff, parents and students can work

together to promote and maintain school-wide safety and minimize the effects of

emergencies and other dangerous situations. This guide covers different ways

everyone in the school community can prepare for various natural disasters and

other emergencies to stay safe. Some natural disasters can be predicted, giving

schools enough warning to evacuate or take other safety precautions, but others

can happen unexpectedly or go through rapid changes that suddenly put a

school in danger. The first step schools should take in preparing for these types

of emergencies is to assess the natural disaster risks in their areas (Goldring and

Shuermann, 2009).
 Students, faculty and administrators can prepare themselves for

emergencies at school in a number of ways, from conducting regular,

emergency-specific drills to making sure the building’s infrastructure is up to

code. When emergencies do happen, schools need to know how to respond

appropriately and recover as quickly and effectively as possible.

Malhotra (2008) found out many natural disasters can be predicted and

tracked, but earthquakes tend to strike without warning. Thoughtful planning and

preparation can help ensure the safety of students and staff should and

earthquake occur during school hours. Schools are built to code at the time of

their construction, and many older school buildings might not meet earthquake

protection standards. Seek out an architect to evaluate the building and point out

areas that could be reinforced Earthquake drills also help administrators figure

out where the process needs to be reevaluated.

Dorn (2004), further elaborates that schools typically have a strong

warning system in place for fires that will set off alarms throughout the building,

turn on a sprinkler system and contact emergency services. Anyone on campus

can pull manual fire alarms as well. Always be prepared to evacuate the building

immediately, even if you can’t see or smell the fire. Whether a fire threat comes

from inside or outside the building, student and staff safety is the top priority.

Smart planning and preparation for various types of fire threats can help schools

prevent fires and, when prevention is not possible, respond to them

appropriately. Make sure a sound evacuation and response plan is in place

before school begins. The plan should be understood by everyone involved and

straightforward in its implementation.

To successfully navigate crisis, strong leaders adeptly become

comfortable with widespread ambiguity and chaos, recognizing that they do not

have all of the answers, a crisis playbook, or one defined way forward. Instead,

they commit themselves and their followers to navigating point-to-point through

the turbulence, adjusting, improvising, and re-directing as the situation changes

and new information and evidence emerges. These are key skills for educational

leaders who have embraced evaluative thinking to support continual

improvement (Allsbrook,et.al., 2019).

Emergency contact information allows students and emergency

responders to notify important individuals and loved ones in the event of an

emergency. Students can store their emergency contacts in their phones or write

them down, but it’s a good idea to have the most important ones memorized.

The composition of the SDRRM Team shall be aligned with DepEd’s

DRRM Framework (DepEd Order 37, s. 2015) incorporating the Four Thematic

Areas of DRRM which are; Prevention and Mitigation, Preparedness, Response,

and Rehabilitation. Attached is the Information Management Protocol and the

suggested Roles and Functions of the School DRRM Team Composition, for

information and guidance.

Republic Act No. 9155, states that School Head has the responsibility for

the administrative and instructional supervision of the school or cluster of

schools. Where the school head, who may be assisted by an assistant school
head, shall be both an instructional leader and administrative manager. The

school head shall form a team with the school teachers/learning facilitators for

delivery of quality educational programs, projects and services. A core of non-

teaching staff shall handle the school’s administrative, fiscal and auxiliary

services. Consistent with the national educational policies, plans and standards,

the school heads shall have authority, accountability and responsibility for the

following: Setting the mission, vision, goals and objectives of the school;

Creating an environment within the school that is conducive to teaching and

learning; Implementing the school curriculum and being accountable for higher

learning outcomes; Developing the school education program and school

improvement plan; Offering educational programs, projects and services which

provide equitable opportunities for all learners in the community; Introducing new

and innovative modes of instruction to achieve higher learning outcomes;

Administering and managing all personnel, physical and fiscal resources of the

school; Recommending the staffing complement of the school based on its

needs; Encouraging staff development; Establishing school and community

networks and encouraging the active participation of teachers organizations, non-

academic personnel of public schools, and parents-teachers-community

associations.

DepEd Order (32s. 2010), describes that school heads in particular,

realize the need for investigating the facets of leading with the end in view for

improving it. More than understanding what it feels like leading a school,

professionals in the field of leadership recognize the need in assessment of

school. There are untrained school heads who are leading a school for the sake

of obeying their superiors, wherein these leaders only rely on their supervisors

that they assigned to.

The School Head may serve as the school DRRM Coordinator but shall

appoint an alternate among other school personnel to assist in the

implementation of DRRM. The following are his/her roles and responsibilities in

order to establish a culture of safety in the school (DepEd Order 21, s.

2015):Acknowledge receipt of advisories and reminders from the SDS and/or the

SDO DRRM Coordinator, and the local DRRMC;spearhead the conduct of multi-

hazard drills and other disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness activities

in school; ensure conduct of an annual student-led risk identification and

mapping (DepEd Order 23, S. 2015); communicate notable result results of risk

assessment and other disaster preparedness activities to the SDO; serve as the

point person for collaborations and coordination with local DRRM Council and

other partner organizations; ensure availability of baseline data of the school;

spearhead relevant and necessary capacity building activities for the school;

report to the SDO any hazard affecting the school operations such as flood,

conflict, fire, among others; submit situation reports and provide real-time

updates to the SDO; accomplish and submit Rapid Assessment of Damages

Report (RADaR) within 72 hours after any hazard or emergency via SMS;.

immediately contact via text, the Schools Division Office thru the SDS or the

Division DRRM Coordinator once the school is identified/used as evacuation

center; track and report the progress of recovery and rehabilitation initiatives to
the SDO; m Report and update the SDO on the demobilization of evacuation

centers i The School DRRM Coordinator-alternate shall serve as the lead in early

warning and communications team. Suggested Team Members are; ICT

Coordinator, PTA President, SSG/SPG President/PIO (DO 21 s. 2010).

Schools are mandated to form School DRRM team, which is headed by a

designated coordinator. The DRRM Team and Coordinator are expected to:

ensure the establishment of an early warning system for the school, conduct an

annual student-led risk identification and mapping within and around the school

premises, plan and implement disaster preparedness measures, maintain the

safekeeping of vital school records and learning materials, track all school

personnel during disasters, conduct damage assessments, facilitate immediate

resumption of classes, and monitor recovery and rehabilitation interventions

being implemented in the school, among other roles and responsibilities. Clear

structure and mechanisms are in place for early warning and emergency

response from national to school levels. Immediately after the occurrence of any

hazard, all affected schools are required to report the effects using the Rapid

Assessment of Damages Report (RADAR) templates via SMS. All RADAR

should be submitted within 72 hours after any hazard occurrence to facilitate the

immediate determination of needs and necessary provision of assistance.

Immediate, as well as, recovery and rehabilitation assistance, including school

clean-up and repair, construction of temporary learning space, provision of

learning materials, and reconstruction of classrooms are based on the RADAR

submission of schools(DO 21 s. 2010).

 Hallinger and Heck (2010) discuss the pivotal role of collaborative

leadership for effective schools that absorb at-risk students. Smith and Riley

(2012), however, situate effective leadership within contingency and crisis. This

necessitates that school leaders reflect and generate open communication with

stakeholders and the community.

Therefore, proper leadership style should be implemented in

organizations. Thus, the leadership should be supportive, distributing or power

sharing, collaborative and collective (Ekelund et. Al., 2012). By this, all will have

the opportunity to work and face challenges together.

Technology has been instrumental for efficient communication through

expediting the dissemination of news-related events about the pandemic. Apart

from this, it also redefines how the educational system can proliferate the

delivery of the teaching-learning process amidst COVID-19. To counteract the

effects of COVID-19 in educational institutions, teachers are experimenting with

emergency remote education. Using the power of digital technology alongside

flexible learning approach, teachers in the Philippines are navigating the realms

of educational technology to provide the learning development and educational

opportunities for students amid the pandemic. This study recommends further

research on innovative strategies, virtual learning experiences, and the transition

from the physical classroom into an emergency remote education environment

during the pandemic and post-coronavirus period (Toquero,2020).

Capulso (2020), points out that this educational framework is composed of

different important pillars such: School Readiness, Human Resources,

Infrastructure readiness, Transition Program. Building Partnership, Teaching and

Learning Modalities and Assessment centered on the Development of the Most

Essential Skills and Values of the learners. The Most Essential Learning

Competencies: The three months delay in the opening of the classes in K12

Education requires the Department of Education to adjust the learning

competencies of the students. Hence, the Most Essential Learning

Competencies was crafted. Here, the curriculum makers and other stakeholders

identified only the most essential competencies that can be covered within the

school year considering the shortened number of school days. The Four

Teaching Learning Modalities:The Department of Education adopted a four (4)

teaching-learning modalities such as: face-to-face; blended learning; distance

learning and home-schooling. The first two modalities, face-to-face and blended

learning will be adopted in areas of the country where there is no Enhanced

Community Quarantine (ECQ) and General Community Quarantine (GCQ).

However, the last two modalities, distance learning and homeschooling, will

apply in all areas under ECQ or GCQ.Face-to-face modality, when adopted, is

still subject to physical distancing & minimum health standards. Some Actual

Steps in Facing the Challenges:Despite the opening of the classes by the last

week of August, teachers were asked to report to school beginning June 2, 2020,

virtually or physically (Capulso,2020).The purpose of this is to prepare teachers

in the possible changes in the teaching-learning modalities, strategies and even

the physical situation in the school. This coincides with the annual “Brigada

Eskweala” – a school brigade program to prepare the school and the “Balik
Eskwela” or Back to School Program, all to provide a safe and friendly

atmosphere both to learners and other stakeholders. The Role of Parents and

Other Stakeholders: Since the education of young is the responsibility of the

whole community, parents, Local Government Officials and Private Sectors also

play an important role.

Pont (2020), describes that the COVID-19 pandemic has raised many

challenges to our education systems. Yet, it also presents an opportunity to re-

consider the delivery of education and schooling by those in educational

leadership positions. Education leaders at different levels needed to define the

essential learning to deliver in remote environments. Decisions were made based

on different criteria, such as teacher availability, subject ease to deliver remotely,

online platforms or materials available. In times of emergencies such as COVID,

education leaders will need to decide their learning priorities in the short, medium

and longer term, which will vary greatly depending on the level of education.

These are just some of the issues that schools and system leaders will need to

consider in times of uncertainty in the delivery of education. Overall, COVID-19

has magnified many of the challenges and issues in education that existed

before, such as learning content for the 21st century, inequities, assessments,

the use of technology or investing in teacher professionalism. Education leaders

in schools and at the system level have the opportunity to consider how to weave

in lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to reimagine the delivery of education in

ways that are suited to the 21st century. They have done it quickly in times of
need, and can now take a bit more time to reimagine and reshape the future.

Now is the time to rise to the educational leadership challenge (Pont, 2020).

Schools are indispensable part of the modern civilized society. They are

tasked to prepare all citizens to support themselves materially, to communicate

well, to embrace the philosophies and appreciate the values of their society, to

maintain its prestige and security, to carry on its activities efficiently for the

benefit of all and to make it possible for the coming generation to do likewise.

Thus, the student development workers, in response to the objectives of

education have task to uncover and evaluate the administrators’ processes

transformational leadership which are owning, co-owning and co-creating. They

use data-base practices in education, society and country in order to be

responsive and proactive in changing schools to prepare children the future in

which they will live.

Magno’s (2013) study found that in the Philippines, the teachers’

competencies are already in the National Competency Based Teacher

Standards (NCBTS) and one component is assessment. However, there is a

need to identify further appropriate competencies and micro skills of teachers on

student assessment. When these assessment competencies are specified,

teachers are better guided in their practice.

In order to develop as strong leaders, appropriate training and support must be

provided, demonstrating how to be an effective leader, and leadership specific to

crisis management, acknowledging that inherent in this are the same attributes
that are needed for effective leadership in general – high cognition, developing

trust, processing ambiguity, and sense making.

“leaders in times of crisis need to remember the big picture. Concentrate

on the greater vision you have of yourself, both personally and
professionally. Think about where you will be and what you will be doing a
year from now…. Stop and realize that you are alive and that much good
will come out of the crisis.” (Klann,2000).

A leader’s attitude, demeanor and mindset are contagious. Leaders are

dealers in hope, which is much needed in calamity even in an extreme crisis, a

positive mindset and an optimistic, solution-oriented perspective will unite

teachers and school communities. True leaders consider alternative solutions,

acknowledging the risks and opportunities that each of these solutions brings.

They energize and influence their communities, exploiting the crisis to cultivate

people’s desire for a change of circumstances, and the creation of different and

better. Leaders truly understand the power in community.

Leadership is:

…the first among the achievement criteria in crisis management. In order

to call a person as a leader, he/she shall be able to unite people and
activate them, he/she shall leave a trace behind and create a
difference.”  (Fenera and Cevikb, 2015).
School principal constitutes the core of leadership team in the schools. It

has been found that quality of principals can influence a range of school

outcomes most importantly in the student achievement, quality and satisfaction

of teachers mainly their ability to identify and articulate school vision and

mission, effective allocation of school resources, and development of

organizational structure supporting to instruction and learning (Horng,et al.,

2016).

The school head, more than any other person in the school is responsible

for school climate, for the outcome of productivity and for satisfaction attained by

student and staff (Sullivan, 2006). Reiterating the same point, Daft, (2008)

pointed out, “that major component of school administration on whose ability

and skill, personality and professional competence will largely depend the tone

and effectiveness of the school”. However, besides the principal, there are many

other factors that determine the efficiency of the school. Among these are the

quality of the students, the school community, the teachers and the instructional

materials and resources available, among others.

The principal occupies that important position of management and

leadership that controls the characteristics of school effectiveness and is

therefore able to determine school outcomes in many respects. When

management and leadership of the school is effectively carried out, the result

will be improvement in output of the teachers, the learners as well as the

support staff which will enhance achievement of the school.

In decentralized school system, principals are expected to be accountable

decision makers and take responsibility for economic, marketing, work

environment and personnel issues. They must also continuously monitor the

quality of work and take actions required to remedy any underperformance

(Nihlfors & Johansson, 2013).

 A common finding is that it is difficult for principals to meet demands of all

the stakeholders, due to diversity of their responsibilities. High workloads and a

desire to be available for staff, students and parents tend to result in fragmented

workdays (Darmody & Smyth, 2016).

Moreover, because most novice principals are former teachers, the

transition into their new occupation triggers a shift in social relationships,

resulting in structural loneliness and a need to belong (Kelchtermans et al,

2011). Various solutions with different orientations have been proposed to

support principals in their job. One is to improve administrative support to free

time for educational matters and mentoring by academics by senior principals

(Sciarappa & Mason,2014).

However, provision of administrative support does not necessarily reduce

responsibilities; indeed it can create new duties by the number of staff to lead

decisions to consider (Borven & Svensson, 2017).

Deficiencies in school improvement have also been largely attributed to

lack of time to address them. In addition, leadership skills have identified clear

shortcomings in pedagogical leadership, suggesting that teachers lack feedback

about their work (Leo, 2015).

Reeves et al. (2010) suggest that although schools continue to be safe for

students and staff, school leaders should work with community members and

stakeholders to ensure staff members are trained to handle a variety of

contingencies. “Creating and strengthening relationships with community

partners such as law enforcement, fire safety, and public health and mental
health agencies is best facilitated when all speak the same preparedness

language” (Reeves et al., 2010). Crisis management involves more than a

multi-hazard plan created by school leadership. It involves coordination

between civilian and government agencies responding to the crisis. Therefore,

effective school drills include involvement from representatives of the various

agencies including police, fire, and local paramedics. When the various

agencies are involved in school drills, potential problems in communication are

brought to the forefront. Doing so saves time and possible lives during an actual

crisis.

Conley (2011) goes on to suggest that it is strongly underpinned that

professional development activities through professional training and interaction

improve university instructors’ professional proficiencies and the quality of

student learning. Indeed, it is based on the empowerment and dedication of

teachers to take ownership of improving their continuous practices, seeking for

innovation means more endeavors and something unique for the instructors.

Improving the work of staff members would mean enabling them to acquire new

experiences in something different manner. Taking appropriate measures such

as humanizing teaching, team spirit, collegiality, and research excellence

through continuous training in methods of teaching, curriculum development,

assessment of the outcome of teaching, and learning a few of the many

important dealings is to consider (Karabenick & Conley, 2011).

Eastern Visayas is prone to disasters like typhoons, earthquakes, floods,

landslides, and now facing the current COVID-19 pandemic for the reason that
each school head needs to find ways on how they could manage their schools

effectively in times of emergencies. Benchmarking on the practices made by the

experienced school heads in managing their school in times of emergencies

could lead a successful leadership style for the new school leaders.

The foregoing statements and observations encouraged the researcher to

conduct this study on school heads leading schools in times of emergencies in

Eastern Visayas.

Theoretical Framework

This study is basically anchored on The Contingency Theory, and

Situational Theory.

It is a fact that the school is the primary instrument in meeting the needs of

a society and is a primary factor in molding the minds of our students hence, the

imperative need realization of the goal of becoming effective and competent

teachers in the future.

This study is anchored on The Contingency Theory which emphasizes

different variables in a specific setting that determine the style of leadership best

suited for the said situation. It is founded on the principle that no one leadership

style is applicable to all situations. Closely related to the situational approach is

what has become known as contingency theory. The contingency theory of

leadership was proposed by the Austrian psychologist Fred Edward Fiedler in his

landmark 1964 article, "A Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness."

 The contingency theory emphasizes the importance of both the leader's

personality and the situation in which that leader operates. Fiedler and his

associates studied leaders in a variety of contexts but mostly in military context

and their model is based on their research findings.They outline two styles of

leadership:task-motivated and relationship-motivated.Task refers to task

accomplishment, and relationship-motivation refers to interpersonal relationships.

Fiedler measured leadership style with the Least Preferred Co-Worker Scale

(LPC scale.) The leaders scoring high on this scale are relationship motivated

and those scoring low are task motivated (Northouse, 2007).

Central to contingency theory is concept of the situation, which is

characterized by three factors:Leader-member relations, deals with the general

atmosphere of the group and the feelings such as trust, loyalty and confidence

that the group has for its leader. Task structure, is related to task clarity and the

means to task accomplishment.The position power, relates to the amount of

reward-punishment authority the leader has over members of the group

(Northouse, 2007,). Good leaders not only possess the right qualities but they’re

also able to evaluate the needs of their followers and the situation at hand. In

summary, the contingency theory suggests that great leadership is a combination

of many key variables.

The study is likewise anchored on the Situational Theory as it also

proposes that no one leadership style supersedes others. As its name suggests,

the theory implies that leadership depends on the situation at hand. Put simply,

leaders should always correspond their leadership to the respective situation by

assessing certain variables such as the type of task, nature of followers, and

more.

Herseey and Blanchard (1969) found out that another approach to

leadership studies is the situational approach, the basic premise of which is that

different situations demand different types of leadership. Every concrete activity

is the solution of a situation

A situationally motivated leader realizes that the skills and motivation of

any group member are not static and the mix of the leader's supportive and

directive activities must likewise change with the situation. The situational

approach has been refined and revised several times since its inception and it

has been used extensively in organizational leadership training and development

(Northouse, 2007).

Individuals need three primary skills to lead their followers – technical,

human, and conceptual skills. Technical skills refer to a leader’s knowledge of

the process or technique; human skills means that one is able to interact with

other individuals; while conceptual skills enable the leader to come up with ideas

for running the organization or society smoothly.

People are seen as intelligent, goal-driven individuals who control their

activities in order to achieve their objectives, goal and needs. In like manner, the

Department of Education used some control mechanism to ensure the attainment

of its goals and objectives. One of the tools used to control the performance of

the school heads is the National Competency Based Standards for School Heads

(NCBS-SH). Competencies covered in the NCBS-SH that school heads must

exibit in the execution of their duties and responsibilities as mandated by

Republic Act 9155 are being assessed.

Statement of the Problem

The study explored how the school heads in Eastern Visayas managed

their school in times of emergencies.

Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:

1. What are the different emergencies that you have encountered since you

started to work in your school?

2. What is your idea about managing schools in times of emergencies? What

do you know about it?

3. How did you respond to emergencies affecting education as a school

head?

4. What challenges did you face as a school head in managing your schools

in times of emergencies?

5. What are the programs that you implemented as a school head in order to

help overcome the challenges faced in managing schools in times of these

emergencies?

6. What are the strategies that you have proposed and implemented as

school head to manage school in times of emergencies?

Significance of the Study

 The findings of this study are beneficial to school administrators, teachers,

and policy makers since schools are social institutions where the

accomplishment of the educational goals largely depend on school heads leading

their schools in times of emergencies in Eastern Visayas. The result of this study

provided valuable inputs and significant insights to the following:

School Heads. Results of this study could provide substantial evidence

as to how the experienced school heads lead their respective schools in times of

emergencies. This will serve as reference for novice school heads in leading

effectively their schools in times of emergencies.

Policy Makers. The data generated from this study would serve as basis

in the re-formulation of programs and policies in the different department. This

will be the basis for training alignment where new ideas regarding leadership

competence of novice school heads are given emphasis.

Curriculum Planners. The data generated from this study would serve as

basis in the re-formulation of programs and policies in the different department.

This will be the basis of re-formulating of the curriculum design which will be in

line of the school needs in times of emergencies.

Teachers. Results of this study could provide the teachers new concept on

how to deal new normal teaching and learning processes coping with the needs

of the clientele based on the findings of the study.

Researchers. Results of this study could provide substantial information on

certain areas of teaching performances which need further study. This may be a
good reference for future researchers who aim to assess the existing leadership

program of other schools in the region.

Parents. The findings of this study would enable the parents of Eastern

Visayas to encourage their children to get involved in every health related

activities, to be aware on the importance of an active lifestyle, and to be

physically fit at all times to embrace the new normal educational system. And this

would lead and encouraged every member of the family to take part in

educational system.

Pupils. Based on the findings of the study, pupils will be able to positively

contribute to the efforts of the teachers and the school head in the effective,

efficient and most of all humane delivery of service for their own academic

advancement for a more productive life ahead of them.

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

The study explored how the school heads lead their school in times of

emergencies in Eastern Visayas during school year 2020-2021. It will consider

the type of school they are in, their number of years in the service as school

heads, their number of school assignment in Eastern Visayas.

The participants of the study are representative of the elementary school

heads of Eastern Visayas during school year 2020-2021 in a central and non-

central school in Eastern Visayas. Eastern Visayas has six (6) provinces:

Leyte, Biliran, Southern Leyte, Western Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern

Samar with thirteen (13) schools division namely: Baybay City, Biliran, Borongan

City, Calbayog City, Catbalogan City, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Maasin City,
Northern Samar, Ormoc City, Samar, Southern Leyte, and Tacloban City

division .

REFERENCES

Burcar, Z. (2017). DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY

SCHOOL PRINCIPALS’ ROLE, THEIR ROLE AND POTENTIAL

PRINCIPALS’ PERCEPTIONS. MEST Journal, 5(2), 7–14.

https://doi.org/10.12709/mest.05.05.02.02

Cassetti, V., Sanders, T., & Barnes, A. (2018). Connecting assets to promote

health in local communities. Perceived changes among local stakeholders.

European Journal of Public Health, 28(suppl_4).

https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cky218.047

Daniëls, E., Hondeghem, A., & Heystek, J. (2020). Developing school leaders:

responses of school leaders to group reflective learning. Professional

Development in Education, 1–15.

https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2020.1766543

DepEd continues to drive improvements to teaching quality with new standards

for school leaders | Department of Education. (2020, October 4).

Department of Education. https://www.deped.gov.ph/2020/10/04/deped-

continues-to-drive-improvements-to-teaching-quality-with-new-standards-

for-school-leaders/
Depressive Symptoms, Perceived Risk of Infection, and Emotional Fatigue

among COVID-19 Frontline Medical Personnel. (2021).

Psychosociological Issues in Human Resource Management, 9(1), 47.

https://doi.org/10.22381/pihrm9120215

Farah, B., Elias, R., de Clercy, C., & Rowe, G. (2020). Leadership succession in

different types of organizations: What business and political successions

may learn from each other. The Leadership Quarterly, 31(1), 101289.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.03.004

Growing Leaders: Testing Learning Modules that Foster Belongingness and

Growth Mindsets about Leadership among Adolescents. (2020). Journal

of Educational & Psychological Research, 2(2).

https://doi.org/10.33140/jepr.02.02.07

Harris, A., & Jones, M. (2021). Leading in disruptive times: a spotlight on

assessment. School Leadership & Management, 41(3), 171–174.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2021.1887643

Jarvis, S. N., & Okonofua, J. A. (2019). School Deferred: When Bias Affects

School Leaders. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(4),

492–498. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550619875150

Kwon, D., & Naro, M. (2021). Coronavirus evolving: How mutations arise and

new variants emerge. Knowable Magazine. Published.

https://doi.org/10.1146/knowable-022221-3
Radak, Z., Gospic, N., & Markovic, G. (2017). Proposal of solution for reliable

access to the Internet. Tehnika, 72(4), 571–578.

https://doi.org/10.5937/tehnika1704571r

Tagalo, R. D. (2020). How does government discourse make people vulnerable?

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 29(5),

697–710. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm-07-2020-0225

Today, O. E. A. S. (2021, February 9). The role of school heads and why they

matter during the COVID pandemic. OECD Education and Skills Today.

https://oecdedutoday.com/role-school-principals-heads-covid/

WHO - List of emergencies. (2021). WHO INTERNATIONAL.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/situations

Wikipedia contributors. (2021, October 22). Emergency. Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency